Active-matrix liquid crystal display

ABSTRACT

An active matrix liquid crystal display device includes a pair of substrates and a liquid crystal layer, a video signal lines and scan signal lines delimiting pixel areas having pixel electrodes and display electrodes, reference electrodes and active devices. The display electrodes are arranged on one of the substrates, and the reference electrodes are arranged on another of the substrates. A part of the reference electrodes have a first layer formed in the substrate side and a second layer formed in the liquid crystal layer side. Each of the display electrodes and the reference electrodes has a slit, the slit of the display electrodes and the slit of the reference electrodes being shifted with respect to one another in plan view.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This is a continuation application of U.S. Ser. No. 11/511,292, filedAug. 29, 2006, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,289,182 which is a continuation ofU.S. Ser. No. 11/144,619, filed Jun. 6, 2005, now U.S. Pat. No.7,102,711, which is a divisional application of U.S. Ser. No.10/670,226, Filed Sep. 26, 2003, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,927,816, which is acontinuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/904,835, filed Jul. 16,2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,654,092, and U.S. application Ser. No.09/029,747, filed Mar. 2, 1998, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,266,117, which is a371 of PCT/JP96/02562, filed Sep. 9, 1996, the subject matter of whichis incorporated by reference herein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an active-matrix liquid crystal displaydevice, and particularly to a liquid crystal display device of theso-called in-plane field type.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In color liquid crystal display devices of the in-plane field type, oneor both of two transparent substrates placed opposite to each other,with a liquid crystal layer disposed in between, have display electrodesand reference electrodes arranged in areas on the sides of the liquidcrystal corresponding to unit pixels, and an electric field parallel tothe transparent substrate surface is produced between the displayelectrodes and the reference electrodes to modulate light passingthrough the liquid crystal layer.

Such a color liquid crystal display device can produce a picture thatcan be recognized at a wide viewing angle and has become known for itsexcellence in the so-called wide angle visual field.

Liquid crystal display devices with the above configuration aredescribed in detail, for example, in the Published Japanese Translationof PCT International Publication for Japanese Patent Application No.505247/1993, Japanese Patent Publication No. 21907/1988, and JapanesePatent Laid-Open No. 160878/1994.

It has been pointed out that liquid crystal display devices of thisconfiguration, however, have a problem in that an undesired electricfield produced from the video signal line changes the electric fieldbetween the display electrodes and the reference electrodes, causingso-called vertical smear extending along the video signal line on thedisplay surface. A known means to solve this problem involves the use ofa shield electrode on the same substrate close to the video signal line(see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 202127/1994).

Liquid crystal display devices thus structured, however, have a problemin that, because the shield electrode is provided on the same substrate,the capacitance between the shield electrode and the signal electrode islarge, the load on the drive circuit becomes too heavy, and the powerconsumption or the size of the drive circuit becomes too large.

Liquid crystal display devices thus constructed have another problem inthat, because opaque electrodes are formed like a comb, the percentageof the pixel area occupied by the opaque metal is high, and so theaperture ratio cannot be increased.

Further, because a voltage is applied to the reference electrodes formedin individual pixel areas through common stripe-shaped reference signallines extending in a row or column direction, the waveform of theapplied voltage becomes dull from the signal supply portions of thereference signal lines toward the far ends of the reference signallines, with the result that a brightness gradient or so-calledhorizontal smear occurs with the reference signal lines on the displaysurface.

The present invention has been accomplished to avoid these circumstancesand an object thereof is to provide a liquid crystal display device thatminimizes so-called vertical smear and reduces power consumption and thesize of the peripheral circuits.

Another object of this invention is to provide a liquid crystal displaydevice having an improvement in the so-called aperture ratio.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a liquid crystaldisplay device in which what is generally-called a brightness gradientand also the horizontal smear are suppressed.

A further object of this invention is to provide a liquid crystal cellwith a low reflectance.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Representative aspects of this invention disclosed in this specificationmay be briefly summarized as follows.

An active-matrix liquid crystal display device, which is applicable tothe present invention comprises transparent substrates opposed to eachother; a liquid crystal layer interposed between the opposed transparentsubstrates; pixel areas arranged on the surfaces of the transparentsubstrates on the liquid crystal side; and display electrodes, referenceelectrodes, scan lines, video signal lines and active devices arrangedin the pixel areas; wherein a voltage is applied between the displayelectrodes and the reference electrodes to produce an electric fieldparallel to the transparent substrates in the liquid crystal layer tomodulate light passing through the liquid crystal layer. A first aspectof the invention is characterized in that, on one of the transparentsubstrates, the reference electrodes are arranged on both sides of thevideo signal lines, and on the other transparent substrate, a shieldelectrode is formed to cover in plan view the video signal lines in thepixel areas and a part of the reference electrodes on both sides of thevideo signal lines.

An active-matrix liquid crystal display device which comprises:transparent substrates opposed to each other; a liquid crystal layerinterposed between the opposed transparent substrates; pixel areasarranged on the surfaces of the transparent substrates on the liquidcrystal side; and display electrodes, reference electrodes, scan lines,video signal lines and active devices arranged in the pixel areas;wherein a voltage is applied between the display electrodes and thereference electrodes to produce an electric field parallel to thetransparent substrates in the liquid crystal layer to modulate lightpassing through the liquid crystal layer; the aspect of the invention ischaracterized in that, on the other transparent substrate opposed to theone transparent substrate formed with the video signal lines, a shieldelectrode is formed completely overlapping the video signal lines inplan view and is formed integrally with the reference electrodes; andthe video signal lines for allowing the display electrodes to functionand the reference signal lines connected with the reference electrodesare completely superimposed when seen in plan view.

In accordance with the invention, the shield electrode is electricallyconnected to the light shielding layer having apertures only at thepixel areas or is integrally formed with the light shielding layer.

In the active-matrix liquid crystal display device which comprises:transparent substrates placed opposed to each other; a liquid crystallayer interposed between the opposed transparent substrates; pixel areasarranged on the surface of one of the transparent substrates on theliquid crystal side; display electrodes, scan signal lines, video signallines and active devices arranged in the pixel areas; and a conductivelight shielding layer formed in matrix, provided in the pixel areas onthe other transparent substrate and supplied with a reference signal;wherein a voltage is applied between the light shielding layer and thedisplay electrodes to produce an electric field having a componentparallel to the transparent substrates to modulate light passing throughthe liquid crystal layer; the third aspect of the invention ischaracterized in that the light shielding layer has a multilayerstructure comprising a layer with a reflectance of 10% or less on thetransparent substrate side and a highly conductive layer on the liquidcrystal layer side; that a backlight unit is disposed on the side of thetransparent substrate provided with the display electrodes, the scansignal lines, the video signal lines and the active devices, opposite tothe liquid crystal layer; and that the transparent substrate providedwith the display electrodes, the scan signal lines, the video signallines and the active devices has thereon a connection terminal forsupplying the reference signal to the light shielding layer and aconductive layer fox electrically connecting the connection terminal tothe light shielding layer.

In accordance with the first aspect of the present invention, becausethe video signal lines and the reference electrodes adjacent to thevideo signal lines, both formed on one of the transparent substrates,are completely superimposed, in plan view, by the shield electrodeformed on the other transparent substrate, unwanted electric lines offorce generated by the video signal lines are terminated at the shieldelectrode and the reference electrodes adjacent to the video signallines, thus preventing the electric field between the display electrodesand the reference electrodes from varying depending on the video signal,and greatly minimizing the vertical smear.

Further, because the shield electrodes are formed on the substrateopposite to the video signal lines, the shield electrodes and the videosignal lines are spaced more from each other by the thickness of theliquid crystal layer, so that the capacitance between the shieldelectrodes and the video signal lines is reduced. This prevents the loadon the drive circuit from increasing, minimizes power consumption andreduces the size of the drive circuit.

In accordance with the second aspect of the present invention, becausethe video signal lines for allowing the display electrodes to functionand the reference signal lines connected with the reference electrodesare formed to completely overlap each other, when seen in plan view, theeffective pixel areas can be increased, thus improving the so-calledaperture ratio.

Further, because the reference electrodes are so formed as to beelectrically connected to the light shielding layer having aperturesonly at the pixel areas, a voltage is applied through a low resistanceto the reference electrode in each pixel area. As a result, thereference signal waveforms can be prevented from becoming dull, thusminimizing what is generally called a brightness gradient and thehorizontal smear.

Furthermore, the third aspect of the present invention has the featuresof the first and second aspects combined and can reduce the reflectanceof the liquid crystal display device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a plan view of Embodiment 1 of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the liquidcrystal display device of Embodiment 1 and its peripheral circuits;

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the positional arrangement of the shieldelectrode in Embodiment 1;

FIG. 4 is a cross section taken along the line III-III of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a cross section taken along the line IV-IV of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a cross section taken along the line V-V of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a side sectional view showing the method of making anelectrical connection of the shield electrode in the liquid crystaldisplay device of Embodiment 1;

FIG. 8 is a graph showing the relation between the width of the shieldelectrode and the vertical smear;

FIG. 9 is a vector diagram showing the relation between the alignmentlayer and the polarizer plate in the liquid crystal display device ofEmbodiment 1;

FIG. 10 is a plan view of Embodiment 2 of this invention;

FIG. 11 is a plan view showing the arrangement of the shield electrodethat also serves as the reference electrode in Embodiment 2;

FIG. 12 is a cross section taken along the line III-III of FIG. 10;

FIG. 13 is a cross section taken along the line V-V of FIG. 10;

FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the liquidcrystal display device of Embodiment 2 and its peripheral circuits;

FIG. 15 is a plan view of Embodiment 4;

FIG. 16 is a cross section taken along the line III-III of FIG. 15;

FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the liquidcrystal display device of Embodiment 4 and its peripheral circuits;

FIG. 18 is a cross section of Embodiment 5;

FIG. 19 is a plan view of Embodiment 7;

FIG. 20 is a plan view showing the positional arrangement of the shieldelectrode that also serves as the reference electrode and a lightshielding layer in Embodiment 7;

FIG. 21 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the liquidcrystal display device of Embodiment 7 and its peripheral circuits;

FIG. 22 is a cross section of Embodiment 7;

FIG. 23 is a cross section of Embodiment 8;

FIG. 24 is a cross section of Embodiment 9;

FIG. 25 is a cross section of Embodiment 10;

FIG. 26 is a cross section of Embodiment 10;

FIG. 27 is a plan view of Embodiment 10;

FIG. 28 is a cross section of Embodiment 11;

FIG. 29 is a cross section of Embodiment 12;

FIG. 30 is a cross section of Embodiment 13;

FIG. 31 is a plan view of Embodiment 13; and

FIG. 32 is a cross section of Embodiment 15.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiment 1

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of one Embodiment of theliquid crystal display device of the present invention and itsperipheral circuits.

In the figure, liquid crystal display device 1 has as its enclosure atransparent substrate 1A and a transparent substrate 1B with a liquidcrystal layer interposed therebetween. On the surface of the transparentsubstrate 1A, which is a so-called lower substrate, on the liquidcrystal layer side, are formed scan signal lines 2 and reference signallines 4 that extend in the x direction in the figure and are parallellyarranged in the y direction. The scan signal lines 2 and the referencesignal lines 4 are arranged alternately such that a first referencesignal line 4 is provided close to a first scan signal line 2 in the (−)y direction, a second scan signal line 2 is greatly spaced from thefirst reference signal line 4 in the (−) y direction, a second referencesignal line 4 is provided close to the second scan signal line 2 in the(−) y direction, and so on. Insulated from these signal lines 2 and 4,video signal lines 3 are formed so as to extend in the y direction andare parallelly arranged in the x direction.

Relatively large rectangular areas enclosed by the scan signal lines 2and reference signal lines 4 and the video signal lines 3 constitutepixel areas, which are arranged in a matrix to form a display unit.

In each pixel area a display electrode is formed and a thin filmtransistor TFT and a storage capacitor Cstg are arranged in a part ofthe periphery of the pixel area. (None of these is shown.)

On the surface of the transparent substrate 1B, on the liquid crystallayer side, a shield electrode 31 is formed to overlap the video signallines 3, extending in the y direction in the figure and parallellyarranged in the x direction. The shield electrode 31 is provided toterminate the electric field from the video signal lines 3 to reduce aleakage field from the video signal lines 3 into the pixel, therebyminimizing vertical smear caused by such a leakage field.

The liquid crystal display device 1 has as external circuits a verticalscanning circuit 5 and a video signal drive circuit 6. The verticalscanning circuit 5 supplies a scan signal (voltage) to the scan signallines 2 successively, and the video signal drive circuit 6 suppliesvideo signals (voltages) to the video signal lines 3 in synchronism withthe scan signals.

The vertical scanning circuit 5 and the video signal drive circuit 6 areeach supplied with electricity from an LCD driver power circuit 7, andalso with display data and a control signal, separated from imageinformation received from a CPU 8 by a controller 9.

The LCD driver power circuit 7 also supplies voltages to the referencesignal lines 4 and the shield electrode 31. This embodiment uses an ACvoltage as the voltage applied to the reference signal lines 4 to lowerthe dielectric strength of the video signal drive circuit 6. The shieldelectrode 31 is supplied with the same potential as the reference signalline, so that the in-plane field is provided in the display area betweenthe display electrode and the reference electrode more efficiently. Theshield electrode 31 may also be connected to the reference earthpotential of the LCD driver power circuit 7.

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the detailed configuration of one pixelarea in the liquid crystal display device 1. In the figure, solid linesshow a structure formed on the transparent substrate 1A and dashed linesshow a structure formed on the transparent substrate 1B. The crosssection along the line III-III of FIG. 1 is shown in FIG. 4, the crosssection along the line IV-IV is shown in FIG. 5 and the cross sectionalong the line V-V is shown in FIG. 6. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing thearrangement of the shield electrode 31 of FIG. 1.

On the liquid crystal layer side of the transparent substrate 1A, thescan signal line 2 made of aluminum Al for example is formed to extendin the x direction, and the reference signal line 4 made of aluminum Alfor example is formed close to a scan signal line 2 in an adjacent pixelarea in the (+) direction. The scan signal line 2 is spaced a greatdistance from the reference signal line 4 in the (−) y direction. Thepixel area is defined by the scan signal line 2 and the reference signalline 4 and also by the video signal line 3, as described earlier.

In each pixel area three reference electrodes 14 are formed integrallywith the reference signal line 4. Of these reference electrodes 14, twoare arranged adjacent to the video signal lines 3, and extend from thereference signal line 4 in the (−) y direction. Another reference signalline 4 extends from the reference signal line 4 in the (−) y direction,dividing the pixel area along the center line. All the three referenceelectrodes 14 are spaced from the scan signal line 2 which is providedon the (−) y direction side of the reference signal line 4.

Over the surface of the transparent substrate 1A where the scan signalline 2 is formed, an insulating film 11 (see FIGS. 4, 5 and 6) of asilicon nitride film, for example, is formed covering the scan signalline 2, the reference signal line 4 and the reference electrodes 14. Theinsulating film 11 serves as an interlayer insulating film between thevideo signal line 3 and the scan signal line 2 and between the videosignal line 3 and the reference signal line 4, as a gate insulating filmin a region where a thin film transistor TFT is formed, and as adielectric film in a region where the storage capacitor Cstg is formed.

Over the surface of the insulating film 11 a semiconductor layer 12 isformed in the thin film transistor TFT forming region. The semiconductorlayer 12 is made, for example, of amorphous silicon and is formed tooverlap the scan signal line 2 at a location close to the video signalline 3. In this structure a part of the scan signal line 2 serves as agate electrode of the thin film transistor TFT.

Over the surface of the insulating film 11 are formed video signal lines3 adjacently arranged and extending in the y direction, which lines aremade in the form of a multilayer structure of, say, chromium andaluminum. A part of the video signal line 3 is extended and formedintegrally with a drain electrode 3A formed over a part of thesemiconductor layer 12.

Further, a display electrode 15 is formed over the surface of theinsulating film 11 in the pixel area and is U-shaped to divide one pixelarea in three. One end of the display electrode 15 is formed integrallywith a source electrode 15A of the thin film transistor TFT, and theelectrode extends in the (+) y direction, then in the (+) x directionover the reference signal line 4 and then in the (−) y direction.

In this case, the part of the display electrode 15 formed over thereference signal line 4 constitutes a storage capacitor Cstg having theinsulating film 11 as a dielectric film. The storage capacitor Cstgproduces an effect of holding the video information in the displayelectrode 15 for a long period after the thin film transistor TFT hasbeen turned off.

The interface between the semiconductor layer 12 and the drain andsource electrodes 3A, 15A of the thin film transistor TFT is doped withphosphorus (P) and is a high concentration layer through which ohmiccontacts with these electrodes are made. This construction can beobtained by forming the high concentration layer over the entire surfaceof the semiconductor layer 12, forming the drain and source electrodes,and etching the high concentration layer other than on theelectrode-formed regions with the electrodes being used as a mask.

Over the insulating film 11 over which the thin film transistor TFT, thevideo signal line 3 and storage capacitor Cstg are formed, a passivationfilm 16 of, for example, silicon nitride (see FIGS. 4, 5 and 6) isformed. Over the passivation film 16 there is formed an alignment layer17. This structure as a whole constitutes a so-called lower substrate ofthe liquid crystal display device. The lower substrate is provided witha polarizing plate 18 on the side opposite to the liquid crystal layer.

A light shielding film 30 is formed on the liquid crystal side of thetransparent substrate 1B to serve as what is generally called an uppersubstrate, which is shown by dotted lines in FIG. 1. The light shieldingfilm 30 is made of an organic resin in which, e.g., black pigment isdispersed. Further, as shown by dashed lines in FIG. 1, a shieldelectrode 31 is so formed as to completely be superimposed over thevideo signal line 3 in plan view. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, theshield electrode 31 covers the video signal line 3 completely. Theshield electrode 31 is made of, for example, ITO (indium-tin-oxide) thatforms a so-called transparent electrode. In this case, because theshield electrode has no light shielding effect, it is desirable that itsboundary be located inside the boundary of the light shielding film 30as shown in FIG. 1. It is of course possible to form the shieldelectrode 31 out of a metallic material, for example, chromium Cr.

As described above, the object of providing the shield electrode 31 isto terminate undesired electric lines of force coming out of the videosignal line 3 at the shield electrode 31 to prevent the electric fieldbetween the display electrode 15 and the reference electrodes 14 fromfluctuating depending on the video signal and thereby to minimize thevertical smear.

FIG. 8 shows experimental data representing the relation between thewidth of the shield electrode 31 covering the video signal line 3entirely and the intensity of the vertical smear. In the figure, W3 isdefined as follows.W3=(W2−W1)/2where W1 is the width of the video signal line 3 and W2 is the width ofthe shield electrode 31.

It has been empirically known that when the vertical smear intensity Tis less than 3%, the vertical smear cannot be recognized visually.Therefore, from the above data, it is preferable that the width of W3 beset at 4.7 μm or larger. This means that the vertical smear can beeliminated by setting the width of the shield electrode 31 to be morethan 9.4 μm greater than the width of the video signal line 3.

Further, because on the lower substrate 1A the reference electrodes 14are formed on both sides of the video signal line when seen in planview, this arrangement of the reference electrodes 14 combined with theaction of the shield electrode can minimize the electric field of thevideo signal line more effectively.

The shield electrode 31 provided on the upper substrate 1B can reducethe parasitic capacitance between the video signal line 3 and the shieldelectrode 31 much more than when it is provided on the lower substrate1A. This in turn reduces the power consumption more than when the shieldelectrode 31 is provided on the lower substrate 1A and also leads tosize reduction of the video signal drive circuit.

FIG. 4 is a cross section taken along the line III-II of FIG. 1.

In the figure, when a voltage is applied between the referenceelectrodes 14 and the display electrode 15 formed on the transparentsubstrate 1A (lower substrate), an electric field E is produced in theliquid crystal layer LC in a direction almost parallel to thetransparent substrate 1A.

In FIG. 4, though the horizontal distance between the display electrode15 and the reference electrodes 14 is apparently smaller than thethickness of the liquid crystal layer LC in plan view, the actualhorizontal distance between the display electrode 15 and the referenceelectrodes 14 is much larger than the thickness of the liquid crystallayer LC and thus the electric field E produced is almost parallel tothe transparent substrate.

The shield electrode 31 on the transparent substrate 1B side is formedover the surface of a planarization film 27 covering a color filter 25formed on the surface of the transparent substrate 1B, in such a waythat the shield electrode 31 overlaps the video signal line 3 and isdisposed inside the region of the light shielding film 30. An alignmentlayer 28 is formed over the surface of the shield electrode 31. Apolarizing plate 29 is disposed on the surface of the transparentsubstrate 1B on the side opposite to the liquid crystal.

FIG. 7 is a schematic cross section showing the construction of theliquid crystal display device 1 for connecting the shield electrode 31to the LCD driver power circuit 7. The shield electrode 31 formed on theupper substrate 1B is connected through a conductive layer 40 to ashield electrode connecting terminal 41 provided on the lower substrate1A. The conductive layer 40 may be made of a sealant material in whichconductive beads are dispersed and electrically interconnects the shieldelectrode 31 and the shield electrode connecting terminal 41. Thematerial of the conductive layer 40 is not limited thereto and may beany of conductive materials such as silver paste.

The shield electrode connecting terminal 41 and the LCD driver powercircuit 7 are electrically connected by, e.g., an independent wiring. Itis also possible, however, to use at least one line of the video signallines 3 as a dedicated line for electrical connection between the shieldelectrode connecting terminal 41 and the LCD driver power circuit 7, andto electrically connect it to the LCD driver power circuit 7 whenconnecting the video signal line 3 and the video signal drive circuit 6.Alternatively, it impossible to use at least one line of the scan signallines 2 outside the display area as a dedicated line for electricalconnection between the shield electrode connecting terminal 41 and theLCD driver power circuit 7, and to electrically connect it to the LCDdriver power circuit 7 when connecting the scan signal line 2 and thevertical scanning circuit 5.

Next, the relation between the alignment layer 17 and the polarizingplate 18 arranged on the transparent substrate 1A and the relationbetween the alignment layer 28 and the polarizing plate 29 formed on thetransparent substrate 1B will be described, referring to FIG. 9.

The angle φLC of the rubbing directions 208 of the alignment layers 17,18 are both 85 degrees with respect to the direction 207 of the electricfield applied between the display electrode 15 and the referenceelectrodes 14. The polarizing plate 18 has a polarized lighttransmitting axis 209 at an angle φP, which is equal to φLC. The otherpolarizing plate 29 has a polarized light transmitting axisperpendicular to 209. The liquid crystal layer LC uses a nematic liquidcrystal material having a positive dielectric constant anisotropy Δ∈ of7.3 (1 kHz) and a refractive index anisotropy Δn of 0.073 (589 nm, 20°C.).

With this arrangement, generating an electric field parallel to thetransparent substrate 1A in the liquid crystal layer LC makes itpossible to modulate light passing through the liquid crystal layer LC.

As long as a construction is employed in which the light passing throughthe liquid crystal layer can be modulated by a in-plane field, it isobvious that there are no restrictions on the structure of the alignmentlayer and polarizing plate or the material of the liquid crystal.

Embodiment 2

A second embodiment will be described centering on its differences fromEmbodiment 1.

FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram corresponding to FIG. 2. what differsfrom the configuration of FIG. 2 is, first, that the reference signallines 4 and the reference electrodes 14 are not formed on the lowersubstrate 1B. Hence, instead of the storage capacitor Cstg used inEmbodiment 1, an additional capacitor Cadd is provided in each pixel(These are not shown).

On the transparent substrate 1B on the liquid crystal layer side, ashield electrode 32 that also serves as the reference electrodes 14 areformed to overlap the video signal lines 3 extending in the y directionin the figure and adjacently arranged in the x direction. The shieldelectrode 32 that also serves as the reference electrodes 14 are alsoarranged at the center of the pixel area, extending in the Y direction.The plan view arrangement of the shield electrode 32 functioning also asthe reference electrodes is shown in FIG. 11 that corresponds to FIG. 3.

The voltage applied to the shield electrode 32 that also serves as thereference electrodes 14 is supplied from the LCD driver power circuit 7.This voltage is the same as that applied to the reference signal line 4of Embodiment 1.

FIG. 10 is a plan view showing the detailed construction of a pixel areacorresponding to FIG. 1. A cross section corresponding to FIG. 4 isshown in FIG. 2 and a cross section of a region of the additionalcapacitor Cadd corresponding to FIG. 6 is shown in FIG. 13.

In these figures, on the surface of the transparent substrate 1A on theliquid crystal layer side scan signal lines 2 made of, for example,aluminum Al are formed to extend in the x direction. Over the surface ofthe transparent substrate 1A over which the scan signal lines 2 areformed an insulating film 11 (see FIGS. 12 and 13) of, say, siliconnitride is formed to cover the scan signal lines 2. This insulating film11 functions as an interlayer insulation film between the video signallines 3 and the scan signal lines 2, as a gate insulating film in thethin film transistor TFT forming regions, and as a dielectric film inthe additional capacitor Cadd forming regions.

Display electrodes 15 are formed over the surface of the insulating film11 in the pixel areas. Each of the display electrodes 15 is U-shaped, todivide one pixel area into, e.g., three parts. That is, one end of thedisplay electrode 15 is formed integrally with the source electrode 15Aof the thin film transistor TFT, and the electrode extends in the ydirection, then extends in the (+) x direction over the scan signal line2 of an adjoining pixel on the (+) y direction side, and then extends inthe (−) y direction.

In this configuration, the part of the display electrode 15 formed overthe scan signal line 2 constitutes the additional capacitor Cadd havingthe insulating film 11 as a dielectric film. This additional capacitorCadd provides an effect of holding video information in the displayelectrode 15 for a long time after the thin film transistor TFT has beenturned off.

Over a part of the transparent substrate 1B or the upper substrate onthe liquid crystal side a light shielding film 30 is formed as shown bydashed lines in FIG. 10. The light shielding film 30 may be formed of anorganic resin in which, for example, black pigment is dispersed. Asshown by dashed lines in FIG. 10, shield electrode 32 that also servesas the reference electrodes 14 is formed to completely to overlap thevideo signal lines 3 in plan view. Further, in this embodiment, theshield electrode 32 that also serves as the reference electrodes 14 alsoextends through the center of each pixel area in the y direction. Here,the shield electrode 32 also serving as the reference electrodes 14 isformed of ITO in order to eliminate the need to form the referencesignal lines on the lower substrate 1A and thereby to use the area thussaved as the aperture area, improving the aperture ratio. This advantageis obtained in addition to the advantage of Embodiment 1.

FIG. 12 is a cross section corresponding to FIG. 4. In the figure, avoltage is applied between the display electrodes 15 formed on thetransparent substrate 1A (lower substrate) and the shield electrode 32formed on the transparent substrate 1B (upper substrate) and having thefunction of the reference electrodes 14 to produce an electric field Eextending through the liquid crystal layer LC parallel to thetransparent substrate 1A. Although in FIG. 12, the horizontal distancebetween the display electrode 15 and the shield electrode 32 serving asthe reference electrode is apparently smaller than the thickness of theliquid crystal layer LC, it is noted, however, that the actual distanceis much larger than the thickness of the liquid crystal layer LC. Hence,the electric field E generated extends parallelly to the transparentsubstrate.

The shield electrode 32 on the transparent substrate 1B that also servesas the reference electrodes is formed over a planarization film 26 thatcovers a color filter 25 formed on the surface of the transparentsubstrate 1B in such a way that the shield electrode 32 is superimposedover the video signal lines and disposed inside the area of the lightshielding layer. In this embodiment, the shield electrode 32 alsoextends through the center of each pixel area in the y direction. Overthe shield electrode 32 that also serves as the reference electrodes 14there is formed a planarization film 27, over which an alignment layer28 is formed. On the surface of the transparent substrate 1B opposite tothe liquid crystal side there is provided a polarizing plate 29.

As long as a configuration is employed in which the light passingthrough the liquid crystal layer can be modulated by an in-plane field,it is obvious that there are no restrictions on the structure of thealignment layer and polarizing plate and the materials such as that ofthe liquid crystal.

Embodiment 3

In the third embodiment, the shield electrode 32 that also serves as thereference electrodes 14 is made of a metal such as Cr.

The disadvantage of Embodiment 2 is that because the shield electrode 32serving also as the reference electrodes 14 is made of ITO, the part ofthe shield electrode 32 extending through the center of each pixel areadoes not block light but transmits it, deteriorating the contrast. If alight shielding layer is provided over the part of the shield electrode32 at the center of the pixel, a deteriorated contrast can be avoided,but other problems arise including degraded aperture ratio and reductionin margin for the alignment between the upper and lower substrates.

Hence, the shield electrode 32 serving also as the reference electrodes14 are made of a metallic material, so that the part of the shieldelectrode 32 at the center of the pixel has a light blocking capabilityand thus can improve the contrast without obviating the advantages ofEmbodiment 2 such as reduced vertical smear and improved aperture ratio.

Embodiment 4

This embodiment will be described centering on its differences fromEmbodiment 1.

FIG. 17 illustrates the configuration of the liquid crystal displaydevice and its peripheral circuits. In the figure, a shield electrode 33that also serves as the light shielding film 30 is formed in a matrixform over the surface of the transparent substrate 1B—which constitutesthe liquid crystal display device 1—on the liquid crystal layer side insuch a way that the shield electrode 33 overlaps the video signal lines3 and the scan signal lines 2. The shield electrode 33 with the functionof the light shielding film 30 is required to have both conductivity anda light blocking capability. In this embodiment, the shield electrode 33is made of a metal such as Cr, for example. The shield electrode 33 iselectrically connected to the LCD driver power circuit 7 in a waysimilar to that in which the shield electrode 31 in Embodiment 1 isconnected.

FIG. 15 is a plan view showing the detailed configuration of one pixelarea. In the figure, solid lines show the construction formed on thetransparent substrate 1A side and dashed lines show the constructionformed on the transparent substrate 1B side. The top view pattern of theshield electrode 33 serving also as the light shielding film 30 in thisembodiment is shaped in a matrix form in each pixel and is almostsimilar to the top view pattern of the light shielding film 30 ofEmbodiment 1. In other words, the shield electrode 33 serving also asthe light shielding layer is the light shielding layer 30 serving alsoas the shield electrode.

FIG. 16 shows a cross-sectional structure of one pixel. On thetransparent substrate 1B there is formed the shield electrode 33 servingalso as the light shielding layer, over which a color filter 25 and thena planarization film 27 are formed, followed by the deposition of analignment layer 28.

In this embodiment, the shield electrode 33 t at also serves as thelight shielding film 30 eliminates the need to form the light shieldingfilm 30 and the shield electrode 33 separately, offering the advantageof improved productivity in addition to the advantage of Embodiment 1.

Embodiment 5

The only difference between this embodiment and Embodiment 4 is theconstruction of the shield electrode 33 that also serves as the lightshielding layer. In this embodiment the shield electrode 33 serving alsoas the light shielding layer has a two-layer structure. FIG. 18illustrates a cross-sectional structure of a pixel. The shield electrode33 serving also as the light shielding layer has two layers: a Cr layer33A and an ITO layer 33B. Thus, in FIG. 7, when the shield electrode 33that also serves as the light shielding layer is provided instead of theshield electrode 31, the conductive layer 40 is directly in contact withthe ITO layer 33B of the shield electrode 33 in the region where theshield electrode also serving as the light shielding layer is in contactwith the conductive layer 40. The ITO layer 33B made of an oxide isknown to exhibit better characteristics than metallic materials in termsof long-term reliability of connection with different materials. Byforming the Cr layer 33A and the ITO layer 33B integrally, it ispossible to form the two-layer shield electrode 33 serving as the lightshielding layer without increasing the photographic process.

Therefore, this embodiment can offer the advantage of being able toincrease the long-term reliability of the shield electrode 33 alsoserving as the light shielding layer in addition to the advantages ofEmbodiment 4.

Embodiment 6

In this embodiment, the light shielding layer that also serves as theshield electrode of Embodiment 5 is formed as an ITO single layer at theelectric connection section of Embodiment 5. Because the terminalportion is formed as the single ITO layer with an excellent long-termreliability, the electrical connection is further improved compared withEmbodiment 5 in terms of long-term reliability.

Embodiment 7

The following description will center on the difference from Embodiment2.

FIG. 19 shows the detailed configuration of one pixel area. What differsfrom the configuration of FIG. 10 is that, instead of the lightshielding film 30 and the shield electrode 32 also serving as thereference electrodes, a shield electrode 34 that also serves as thelight shielding layer and the reference electrodes is provided on theupper substrate 1B.

FIG. 20 is a plan view showing the positional relation between theshield electrode 34 on the substrate 1B and various wirings on thesubstrate 1A. Because the shield electrode 34 also serving as thereference electrodes and the light shielding layer has functions of thelight shielding film 30 and the shield electrode 32 also serving as thereference electrodes in the embodiment 2 of FIG. 10, the shieldelectrode 34 has a superposed shape of the light shielding film 30 andthe shield electrode 32.

FIG. 21 shows the configuration of the liquid crystal display device andits peripheral circuits.

The shield electrode 34 that also serves as the reference electrodes andthe light shielding layer is supplied with a reference potential(voltage) from the LCD driver power circuit 7. In this embodiment, toreduce the dielectric strength of the video signal drive circuit 6, thereference potential (voltage) is used is an AC voltage.

FIG. 22 shows the cross-sectional structure of a pixel. In thisembodiment, the functions of the two layers—the light shielding film 30of FIG. 12 and the shield electrode 32 also serving as the referenceelectrodes —are achieved by a single layer of the shield electrode 34that also serves as the reference electrodes and the light shieldingfilm.

The shield electrode 34 that also serves as the reference electrodes andthe light shielding layer is required to have both a light shieldingcapability and a conductivity. Hence, in this embodiment, the shieldelectrode 34 is formed of a metal such as chromium Cr.

In this embodiment, the construction of the upper substrate 1B is madesimpler than that of Embodiment 2, which realizes a reduced costcompared with Embodiment 2 and an improved productivity.

The shield electrode 34 functioning also as the reference electrodes andthe light shielding layer is shaped like a matrix with openings only atpixel areas. The fact that the shield electrode 34 also serves as thereference electrodes and the reference signal line means that thereference electrodes and the reference signal line are formed in arelatively large area. Hence, a voltage is applied to the shieldelectrode 34 that also serves as the reference electrode and the lightshielding layer in each pixel area through a low resistance, so that thereference signal waveform can be prevented from becoming dull,minimizing the so-called brightness gradient and horizontal smear.

Embodiment 8

The following description will center on the difference from Embodiment7.

FIG. 23 shows a cross section of one pixel. What differs from theconstruction of FIG. 22 is the shield electrode 34 that also serves asthe reference electrodes and the light shielding layer. That is, on thesurface of the transparent substrate 1B on the liquid crystal side isformed the shield electrode 34 also serving as the reference electrodesand the light shielding layer, over which a color filter 25, aplanarization film 27 and an alignment layer 28 are formed in order.

The shield electrode 34 that also serves as the reference electrodes andthe light shielding layer uses such a material as chromium Cr.

This construction obviates the planarization film 26 of FIG. 22,realizing an improved productivity and a reduced cost when compared withEmbodiment 7.

In Embodiment 7 the shield electrode 34 also serving as the referenceelectrodes and the light shielding layer is formed over theplanarization film 26, whereas this embodiment has the shield electrode34 which also serves as the reference electrodes and the light shieldinglayer directly formed over the transparent substrate 1B. Considering theplanarized surface, the transparent substrate 1B obviously has a betterflatness than the planarization film 26 covering the color filter. Thismeans that the structure of FIG. 23 has a lower probability ofoccurrence of shape defect including wire break parts and damaged partsin the shield electrode 34, which also serves as the referenceelectrodes and the light shielding layer, than the structure of FIG. 22.This embodiment therefore can reduce the fraction defective comparedwith Embodiment 7.

Embodiment 9

The following description will center on the difference from Embodiment8.

FIG. 24 shows a cross section of one pixel. What differs from theconstruction of FIG. 23 is that the shield electrode 34 that also servesas the reference electrodes and the light shielding layer is formed of amultilayer structure of layers 34A and 34B of different materials. Thatis, the layer 34A formed on the transparent substrate 1B side is made ofa material having a low light reflectance and the layer 34B on theliquid crystal layer LC side is made of a material having a highconductivity.

The material of the layer 34A with a low reflectance may be chosen fromorganic materials containing carbon and the material of the layer 34Bwith a high conductivity from metals such as Cr.

A so-called backlight as a source of light passing through the liquidcrystal layer LC is provided behind the transparent substrate 1A (lowersubstrate).

In the liquid crystal display device with the above configuration, whenthe display surface is observed through the transparent substrate 1B(upper substrate), the reflection of light from the shield electrode 34that also serves as the reference electrodes and the light shieldinglayer can be reduced significantly. When compared with Embodiment 8, itis found that this embodiment can reduce the light reflectance for theshield electrode 34, which is about 30% in Embodiment 8, down to about1%. This embodiment therefore can form a clear display picture.

In the embodiment structured as described above, the multilayer shieldelectrode 34 having the functions of the reference electrodes and thelight shielding layer comprises a material layer 34A on the transparentsubstrate 1B side made of a material with a low light reflectance and amaterial layer 34B on the liquid crystal layer LC side made of amaterial with a high conductivity.

It is easily understood that on condition that the backlight is providedbehind the transparent substrate 1B, a similar effect can be achievedeven if the multilayer relation is reversed.

In the embodiment described above, an organic material containing carbonis used for the material layer with a low light reflectance. It iseasily understood that other materials may be used, such as organicmaterials where pigment is dispersed or organic materials where metallicmaterial is dispersed, to produce a similar effect. When an organicmaterial in which a metallic material is dispersed is used, a pluralityof different metallic materials may be combined as the material to bedispersed in the organic material. This can planarize the absorptionwavelength, offering the advantage of being able to prevent reflectedlight from being colored.

For the material layer made of a material with a low light reflectance,it is possible to use a metal such as molybdenum Mo. Although it doesnot reduce the reflectance so much compared with the above embodiment,the use of molybdenum improves the reliability in the manufacture of themultilayer structure.

That is, the material layer containing carbon as a main component notonly has various limitations on its manufacturing method but otherproblems, such as a relative difficulty in forming the material layerflatly and a risk of breaking a high conductivity overlying layer. Theseproblems are eliminated by the material layer.

Forming both layers out of metals offers the advantage that if one ofthe layers is broken, the other layer will compensate for the break.

The use of a metal oxide with a low reflectance, such as CrO not onlyimproves the reliability of the manufacture of the multilayer structurebut also reduces the reflectance.

Embodiment 10

FIG. 21 is a schematic diagram showing one embodiment of the liquidcrystal display device of this invention comprising a liquid crystaldisplay unit and peripheral circuits.

In the figure, the liquid crystal display unit 1 has as its enclosure atransparent substrate 1A and a transparent substrate 1B with a liquidcrystal layer interposed therebetween. On the surface of the transparentsubstrate 1A, which is a lower substrate, on the liquid crystal layerside, scan signal lines 2 extend in the x direction in the figure andare arranged to be parallel in the y direction. Insulated from thesesignal lines 2, video signal lines 3 are formed to extend in the ydirection and are arranged to be parallel in the x direction.

Relatively large rectangular areas enclosed by the scan signal lines 2and the video signal lines 3 constitute pixel areas, which are arrangedin a matrix arrangement to form a display unit. In each pixel area adisplay electrode is formed and a thin film transistor TFT and anadditional capacitor Cadd are arranged in a part of the periphery of thepixel area. (None of these is shown.)

On the surface of the transparent substrate 1B on the liquid crystallayer side there is formed a light shielding layer 34 which isconductive and has a surface reflectance of less than 10% on the displaysurface aide. The light shielding layer 34 terminates the electric fieldfrom the video signal lines 3 to reduce a leakage field from the videosignal lines 3 into the pixel, thereby minimizing vertical smear causedby such a leakage field.

The liquid crystal display unit 1 has as external circuits a verticalscanning circuit 5 and a video signal drive circuit 6. The verticalscanning circuit 5 supplies a scan signal (voltage) to the scan signallines 2 successively and, in synchronism with the scan signals, thevideo signal drive circuit 6 supplies video signals (voltages) to thevideo signal lines 3.

The vertical scanning circuit 5 and the video signal drive circuit 6 areeach supplied with electricity from an LCD driver power circuit 7 andalso with display data and a control signal into which image informationfrom a CPU 8 is separated by a controller 9.

The light shielding layer 34 is fed with a reference signal which isalso supplied from the LCD driver power circuit 7. While this embodimentuses an AC voltage as a voltage to be applied to the light shieldinglayer 34, a DC voltage may be used.

FIG. 19 is a plan view showing a detailed configuration of one pixelarea of the liquid crystal display unit 1. In the figure, solid linesshow the construction formed on the transparent substrate 1A side anddashed lines show the construction formed on the transparent substrate1B side.

On the surface of the transparent substrate 1A on the liquid crystallayer side the scan signal lines 2 made of; for example, aluminum Alextend in the x direction. Areas enclosed by the scan signal lines 2 andthe video signal lines described later constitute pixel areas, asdescribed earlier.

Over the surface of the transparent substrate 1A where the scan signallines 2 and others are formed, an insulating film 11 of, say, siliconnitride film is formed covering the scan signal lines 2 and thereference electrodes 14. (See FIGS. 5, 13 and 24.) This insulating film11 functions as an interlayer insulation film between the video signallines 3 described later and the scan signal lines 2, as a gateinsulating film in the thin film transistor TFT forming regions, and asa dielectric film in the additional capacitor Cadd forming regions.

On the surface of the insulating film 11 in the thin film transistor TFTforming regions there is first formed a semiconductor layer 12 which ismade of, for example, amorphous silicon and superimposed over a part ofthe scan signal line 2 close to the video signal line 3. In thisstructure a part of the scan signal line 2 serves as a gate electrode ofthe thin film transistor TFT.

Over the surface of the insulating film 11 there are closely arrangedvideo signal lines 3 extending in the y direction which are made in amultilayer structure of, say, chromium and aluminum. A part of the videosignal line 3 is extended and formed integrally with a drain electrode3A formed over a part of the semiconductor layer 12.

Further, a display electrode 15 is formed over the surface of theinsulating film 11 in the pixel area and is shaped like a letter U todivide one pixel area into three. One end of the display electrode 15 isformed integrally with a source electrode 15A of the thin filmtransistor TFT, and the electrode extends in the (+) y direction, thenextends over the reference signal line 4 in the (+) x direction, andthen extends in the (−) y direction.

In this case, the part of the display electrode 15 formed over the scansignal line 2 constitutes the additional capacitor Cadd having theinsulating film 11 as a dielectric film. The additional capacitor Caddproduces an effect of holding the video information in the displayelectrode 15 for a long time after the thin film transistor TFT has beenturned off.

The interface between the semiconductor layer 12 and the drain andsource electrodes 3A, 15A of the thin film transistor TFT is doped withphosphorus (P) and is a high concentration layer through which ohmiccontacts with these electrodes are made. This construction can beobtained by forming the high concentration layer over the entire surfaceof the semiconductor layer 12, forming the drain and source electrodesand, using the electrodes as a mask, etching the high concentrationlayer other than in the electrode-forming regions.

Over the insulating film 11 over which the thin film transistor TFT, thevideo signal line 3 and the additional capacitor Cadd are formed, apassivation film 16 of, for example, silicon nitride (see FIGS. 5, 13and 24) is formed. Over the passivation film 16 an alignment layer 17 isformed. This structure as a whole constitutes a so-called lowersubstrate of the liquid crystal display unit. The lower substrate isprovided with a polarizing plate 18 on the side opposite to the liquidcrystal layer.

On the surface of the transparent substrate 1B which is an uppersubstrate, on the liquid crystal layer side, there is formed a lightshielding layer 34 shown by dashed lines in FIG. 19, and having aconductivity and a reflectance of less than 10% on the display surfaceside. The light shielding layer 34 has a multilayer structure of, forexample, chromium oxide CrO and chromium Cr formed in this order fromthe transparent substrate side.

In FIG. 24 when a voltage is applied between the display electrode 15formed on the transparent substrate 1A (lower substrate) and the lightshielding layer 34 formed on the transparent substrate 1B (uppersubstrate), an electric field E is produced in the liquid crystal layerLC, having a component parallel to the transparent substrate 1A.

Although in FIG. 24 the horizontal distance between the displayelectrode 15 and the light shielding layer 34 is apparently smaller thanthe thickness of the liquid crystal layer LC, it is noted, however, thatthe actual distance is much larger than the thickness of the liquidcrystal layer LC. Hence, the electric field E generated has a componentparallel to the transparent substrate.

The light shielding layer 34 comprises two layers 34A and 34B stacked onthe transparent substrate 1B. In this embodiment the CrO and Cr layersare formed successively over the transparent substrate 1B, and arepatterned simultaneously to form layer 34A as a CrO layer with a lowreflectance and layer 34B as a conductive Cr layer. A backlight unit isprovided on the surf ace of the transparent substrate 1A on the sideopposite to the liquid crystal layer. With this arrangement, the surfaceof the light shielding layer 34 on the transparent substrate 1B side,i.e., the CrO layer with a low reflectance, is made the display surface,so that external light entering the liquid crystal display unit can bereduced.

Reflection of external light from the liquid crystal display unit isinfluenced by reflection from the light shielding layer of thetransparent substrate 1B and also by reflection from the metallicdisplay electrode, reference electrode and scan electrode of thetransparent substrate 1A. In this embodiment, because the role of thereference electrode made of a metal on the transparent substrate 1A inEmbodiment 1 is realized by the light shielding layer with a lowreflectance, the reflection by the metal electrodes of the transparentsubstrate 1A can be suppressed.

Because the total number of wires on the transparent substrate 1A can bereduced compared with Embodiment 1, the yield can also be improved.

Further, in this embodiment the light shielding layer 34 also servesboth as the reference electrodes and the reference signal lines formedon the transparent substrate 1A in Embodiment 1 and the light shieldinglayer 34 is formed in a matrix arrangement. This is equivalent to theformation of reference electrodes and the reference signal lines in arelatively large area. Therefore, a voltage is applied to lightshielding layer 34 through a low resistance, preventing the referencesignal waveform from becoming dull, and thus minimizing the so-calledbrightness gradient and horizontal smear.

Further, a passivation film 27 is formed over the light shielding layer34 and the color filter 25 that is formed in a shape having an areacovering the light shielding layer 34. Unlike the liquid crystal displayunit of the so-called vertical electric field type, the liquid crystaldisplay device of the so-called in-plane field type has no ITO as thereference electrodes that cover the light shielding layer and the colorfilter. Hence, in the liquid crystal display unit of the in-plane fieldtype, there is a possibility of contamination of the liquid crystal bythe light shielding layer and the color filter. The provision of thepassivation layer 27, however, prevents the contamination. An alignmentlayer 28 is formed over the surface of the passivation layer 27. Apolarizing plate 29 is provided on the surface of the transparentsubstrate 1B on the side opposite to the liquid crystal.

FIG. 25 schematically shows a cross section of a terminal portion of theliquid crystal display unit 1 for connecting the light shielding layer34 to the LCD driver power circuit 7. on the lower substrate 1A aconnection terminal 41 is formed of ITO. The reason that ITO is used isto improve the reliability. In a region that overlaps the connectionterminal when seen in plan view, the light shielding layer 34 on theupper substrate 1B is exposed and connected through the conductive layer40 to the connection terminal 41 on the lower substrate 1A.

In this embodiment, the conductive layer 40 uses a sealing materialwhere conductive beads are dispersed. In the conductive layer 40, 40Adenotes a resin component and 40B denotes the conductive beads. Theconductive beads are in contact with the conductive portion 34B of thelight shielding layer and with the connection terminal 41 to make anelectrical connection between them.

In this embodiment, the conductive layer 40 also serves as a sealingmaterial of the liquid crystal display unit 1. Hence, it is desirablethat the diameter of the conductive beads 40B be determined taking thegap between substrates of the liquid crystal display unit intoconsideration. This embodiment uses plastic balls coated with gold asthe conductive beads. Conductive fibers also provide a similar effect.Hence, the conductive beads 40B fall within the category of thisembodiment as long as they are conductive beads or fibers.

The connection terminals for the scan signal line 2 and the verticalscanning circuit 5 and the connection terminals for the video signalline 3 and the video signal drive circuit 6 are generally formed of asingle ITO layer or a multilayer structure with the ITO layer at thetop. One example of the cross-sectional structure of the connectionterminal portion for the scan signal line 2 and the vertical scanningcircuit 5 is shown in FIG. 26.

In the figure, the connection terminal 42 for the scan signal line 2 andthe vertical scanning circuit 5 is formed in the same layer where theconnection terminal 41 is provided. In this embodiment, the connectionterminal for the video signal line 3 and the video signal drive circuit6 is also formed in the same layer where the connection terminal 41 isprovided. This construction eliminates the need for an additionalprocess of forming the connection terminal 41.

As described above, to prevent contamination of the liquid crystal it isdesirable that the conductive layer is not in direct contact with theliquid crystal. Hence, this embodiment is so constructed that the areain which the light shielding layer 34 is electrically connected with theconnection terminal 41 does not extend into the area of the liquidcrystal layer.

FIG. 27 shows a schematic plan view of the connection between the lightshielding layer 34 and the connection terminal 41. The connectionterminal 41 is formed over the transparent substrate 1A and the lightshielding layer is formed as a matrix over the transparent substrate 1Bas shown in FIG. 21.

Liquid crystal is sealed in an area enclosed by the conductive layer 40that also serves as a sealing material. Normally, in the liquid crystalfilling port region the sealing material is not formed. Instead, onlyafter the liquid crystal is sealed, will the sealing material be formedto seal the liquid crystal. This is ignored in FIG. 27 since it is aschematic explanatory view. In the rectangular region 43 the passivationfilm 27 is not provided, so that electrical connection can be madebetween the light shielding layer 34 and the connection terminal 41 byconductive beads.

The connection terminal 41 and the LCD driver power circuit 7 areelectrically connected by independent wires. It is possible to use atleast one of the connecting wires of the video signal line 3 and thevideo signal drive circuit 6 to connect the connection terminal 41 andthe LCD driver power circuit 7. At least one of the connecting wires forthe scan signal line 2 and the vertical scanning circuit 5 may also beused for connecting the connection terminal 41 and the LCD driver powercircuit 7.

Next, the relation between the alignment layer 17 and the polarizingplate 18 formed on the transparent substrate 1A and the relation betweenthe alignment layer 28 and the polarizing plate 29 formed on thetransparent substrate 1B will be described with reference to FIG. 9.

The rubbing directions 208 of the alignment layers 17 and 28 are at anangle φLC of 85 degrees with respect to the direction 207 of theelectric field applied between the display electrode 15 and thereference electrodes 14. The polarized light transmitting axis 209 ofpolarizing plate 18 is at an angle φP equal to φLC. The other polarizingplate 29 has a polarized light transmitting axis perpendicular to 209.The liquid crystal layer LC uses a nematic liquid crystal materialhaving a positive dielectric constant anisotropy Δ∈ of 7.3 (1 kHz) and arefractive index anisotropy Δn of 0.073 (589 nm, 20° C.).

With this arrangement, generating an electric field parallel to thetransparent substrate 1A in the liquid crystal layer LC makes itpossible to modulate the light passing through the liquid crystal layerLC.

As long as a construction is employed in which the light passing throughthe liquid crystal layer can be modulated by a in-plane field, it isobvious that there are no restrictions on the structure of the alignmentlayer and polarizing plate and the material of the liquid crystal.

Any light shielding layer 34 having a layer 34A with a reflectance ofless than about 10% and a layer 34B made of at least one of Al, Cr, Mo,Ta, Ti, W and their alloys falls in the scope of this embodiment.

Embodiment 11

The difference between this embodiment and Embodiment 10 is thestructure of the light shielding layer 34. FIG. 28 is a schematic crosssection showing the structure of the terminal portion.

In this embodiment, the light shielding layer 34 comprises three layers34A, 34B, 34C. The layer 34A is made of CrO, 34B Cr and 34C ITO. Thisembodiment therefore can produce the same effect as that of Embodiment10. Further in this embodiment, the innermost layer 34C of the shieldelectrode 34 on the liquid crystal layer side is formed of ITO.

This construction can improve the reliability of the connection betweenthe light shielding layer and the conductive layer 40. Because thesurface of the light shielding layer on the liquid crystal layer side ismade of ITO, contamination by the light shielding layer of the liquidcrystal can be prevented, which makes it possible to provide even in theliquid crystal layer an area where the light shielding layer is exposed.As a result, the connection region where the light shielding layer 34and the connection terminal 41 are connected by the conductive layer 40can be formed almost flat, thus reducing the contact resistance andimproving the precision of the gap between the substrates of the liquidcrystal display unit.

This embodiment includes a modification where the ITO layer 34 c of thelight shielding layer 34 is not formed in the display area of the liquidcrystal display unit. In this case, because the layer 34C cannot besimultaneously patterned together with the other layers 34A and 34B whenforming the light shielding layer 34, the number of processes increases.However, because the ITO residues can be prevented from entering thedisplay area during the ITO etching, a defective display caused by theITO residues can be reduced, improving the yield.

Embodiment 12

The difference between Embodiment 12 and Embodiment 10 lies in thestructure of the connecting portion between the light shielding layer 34and the connection terminal 41. FIG. 29 is a schematic cross sectionshowing the construction of the terminal portion.

In this embodiment, an electrical connection between the conductivelayer 40 and the light shielding layer 34 is achieved by a lightshielding layer connection terminal 44 connected to the light shieldinglayer 34. This embodiment uses ITO for the light shielding layerconnection terminal 44.

In this embodiment the region directly connected to the conductive layer40 is formed as a low-corrosiveness ITO single layer, so that thecorrosion resistance of the connecting portion can be improved comparedwith Embodiment 11.

Embodiment 13

The difference between this embodiment and Embodiment 12 lies in thestructure of the connecting portion between the light shielding layer 34and the connection terminal 41. FIG. 30 is a schematic cross sectionshowing the construction of the connecting portion.

In this embodiment, the conductive layer electrically connecting thelight shielding layer 34 with the connection terminal 41 is formedseparately from the sealing material.

In Embodiment 12, conductive beads are used for the beads in the sealingmaterial that support the gap between the substrates, so that theconnecting portion functions both as the sealing material and theconductive layer 40. In this embodiment, however, sealing material 46 inthe form of an insulating material and a conductive layer 45 areprovided separately. The sealing material 46 is a resin where insulatingplastic fibers are dispersed, and the conductive layer 45 uses amaterial similar to the conductive layer 40 of Embodiment 12. Theconductive layer 45 of this embodiment comprises the resin 45A whereinconductive beads 45B prepared by coating plastic beads with gold overthe surface are dispersed.

In this embodiment, the conductive layer 45 is formed inside the sealingmaterial 46, i.e., in the area of the liquid crystal layer, so thatdegradation of the conductive layer 45 due to moisture in the open aircan be prevented.

FIG. 31 is a schematical plan view showing the configuration of theconnection between the light shielding layer 34 and the connectionterminal 41 of this embodiment.

The conductive layer 45 is formed inside a rectangular area enclosed bythe sealant material 46. The area of the conductive layer 45, as shownin FIG. 31, is smaller than that of the sealing material 46. As aresult, the amount of conductive beads or conductive fibers in theconductive layer can be reduced significantly. The conductive beads orconductive fibers are generally made of an insulating material coatedwith gold and are very expensive. Hence, the reduced amount of thesematerials can reduce the material cost compared with Embodiment 12.

Embodiment 14

The difference between this embodiment and Embodiment 13 is that theconductive layer 45 is formed outside the rectangular area enclosed bythe sealing material 46. Like Embodiment 13, this construction can alsooffer the advantage of a reduced material cost. Further, because thisembodiment does not need consideration of contamination of the liquidcrystal material by the conductive layer 45, a less expensive materialsuch as silver paste can be used for the conductive layer 45, furtherreducing the material cost compared with the configuration of Embodiment13.

Embodiment 15

The difference between this embodiment and Embodiment 10 is theconstruction of the connection terminal 41. FIG. 32 is a schematic crosssection showing the construction of the terminal portion.

In this embodiment, the connection terminal 41 has two or more layers.In this example, the connection terminal 41 has two layers 41A, 41B, thelayer 41A being made of ITO and the layer 41B being made of the samematerial as the video signal line. This reduces the probability ofdisconnection failure of the connection terminal 41, improving thereliability and the yield compared with Embodiment 10. Since theresistance of the connecting portion is reduced, the resistance of theconnection from the LCD driver power circuit to the light shieldinglayer 34 can also be reduced. Further, because the layer 41B can beformed together with the video signal line, the number of processes doesnot increase. This is also true when the layer 41B is made of the samematerial as that of the scan signal line. It is also noted that whilethe layers 41A and 41B have a passivation film 16 interposedtherebetween in some area, a structure without such an interposedpassivation film is also included in this embodiment.

As can be seen from the foregoing description, the liquid crystaldisplay device of this invention can minimize the so-called verticalsmear and reduce the power consumption and the size of the peripheralcircuits. Further, the aperture ratio can be improved. Moreover theinvention can minimize the brightness gradient and horizontal smear andlower the reflectance.

This invention, applied to liquid crystals as described above, has apractical applicability in the liquid crystal manufacturing industry.

1. An active matrix liquid crystal display device comprising: a pair ofsubstrates with a liquid crystal layer therebetween; a plurality ofvideo signal lines and a plurality of scan signal lines formed on one ofthe pair of substrates and a plurality of display electrodes connectedto the video signal line through an active device; pixel areas beingdefined by the video signal lines and the scan signal lines which areformed in the shape of a matrix; and the display electrodes, referenceelectrodes and the active devices being arranged in the pixel areas;wherein the display electrodes are arranged on one of the pair ofsubstrates, and the reference electrodes are arranged on another of thepair of substrates; wherein a part of the reference electrodes have afirst layer formed in the substrate side and a second layer formed inthe liquid crystal layer side; and wherein each of the displayelectrodes and the reference electrodes has a slit, the slit of thedisplay electrodes and the slit of the reference electrodes beingshifted with respect to one another in plan view.
 2. An active matrixliquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein the firstlayer is formed by a material of low reflectance, and the second layeris formed by a material of high electric conductivity.
 3. An activematrix liquid crystal display device according to claim 2, wherein thefirst layer is formed by the organic materials including carbon.
 4. Anactive matrix liquid crystal display device according to claim 3,wherein the first layer is formed by a metal material.
 5. An activematrix liquid crystal display device according to claim 4, wherein thefirst layer is formed of molybdenum.
 6. An active matrix liquid crystaldisplay device according to claim 3, wherein the second layer is formedby a metal material.
 7. An active matrix liquid crystal display deviceaccording to claim 4, wherein the first layer is formed of chromium.